CASPER, Wyo. — Some fees paid to the Wyoming Department of Agriculture are set to increase beginning July 1, 2020. That is after Governor Mark Gordon signed House Bill 194 into law on Monday, March 9.
House District 20 Representative Albert Sommers explained the bill when the House of Representatives took up the bill on first reading.
“The Department of Ag registers products, then has a process to check whether the products are what they are purported to be,” he said.
He explained that four types of agriculture fees would be increased under the legislation. Sommers said such fees were last updated in 1993 and that increases to commercial feed product registration fees would lead to the greatest revenue increases for the state.
The following types of fees are set to see increases:
- The fee for registering mixtures of formulas will be raised from $20 to $40
- The fee for registering fertilizer, soil conditioner or soil amendments will be raised from $75 to $150
- The fee for registering animal remedy products will be raised from $20 to $30
However, the Senate amended the bill prior to passing the bill on a third reading vote of 18-12 on March 3 such that the animal remedy products may be increased to $40 rather than $30.
That would occur if Gordon signs House Bill 88 into law, which deals with livestock investigations and includes the proposed fee hike of $20 to $40.
People who own or are responsible for agricultural weighing and measuring devices are required to obtain annual licenses in Wyoming. Fees for those licenses will also be raised:
- The fee range for establishments with up to five such devices would be increased from $10-$25 to $15-$40
- For establishments with 6-10 devices, fees would be increased from $10-$25 to $15-$40
- Establishments with 11 or more devices would see the license fee increased from $75 to $115
The Wyoming Legislative Service Office estimated the fees increases would generate an estimated $506,925 in additional revenue for the state each year.
The bill was sponsored by the Joint Appropriations Committee.
The Senate’s third reading vote was as follows:
Ayes: AGAR, ANDERSON, ANSELMI-DALTON, BALDWIN, BEBOUT, BONER, DRISKILL, GIERAU, HICKS, KINSKEY, KOST, MONIZ, PAPPAS, ROTHFUSS, SCHULER, STEINMETZ, VON FLATERN, WASSERBURGER
Nays: BITEMAN, BOUCHARD, CASE, COE, DOCKSTADER, ELLIS, HUTCHINGS, JAMES, LANDEN, NETHERCOTT, PERKINS, SCOTTWyoming Legislative Service Office
Since the House amended the bill they received from the House, the bill returned to the House for a concurrence vote prior to moving to Gordon’s desk. The House voted to agree to the Senate’s changes on a vote of 39-21:
Ayes: BARLOW, BLACKBURN, BLAKE, BROWN, BURKHART, BURLINGAME, CLAUSEN, CLIFFORD, CONNOLLY, CRANK, DAYTON-SELMAN, DUNCAN, EKLUND, EYRE, FREEMAN, FURPHY, HALEY, HENDERSON, KINNER, HARSHMAN, KIRKBRIDE, LARSEN LLOYD, LOUCKS, MACGUIRE, NEWSOME, NICHOLAS, OBERMUELLER, OLSEN, PAXTON, PELKEY, ROSCOE, SCHWARTZ, SOMMERS, STITH, SWEENEY, WALTERS, WILSON, YIN, ZWONITZER
Nays: CLEM, EDWARDS, FLITNER, GRAY, GREEAR, HALLINAN, HUNT, JENNINGS, LAURSEN DAN, LINDHOLM, MILLER, NORTHRUP, PIIPARINEN, POWNALL, SALAZAR, SIMPSON, STYVAR, TASS, WASHUT, WESTERN, WINTER Wyoming Legislative Service Office
Concerned about this or other legislation? An online hotline system allows Wyomingites to have messages delivered to legislators on issues they are concerned with.
This article originally appeared on Oil City News. Used with permission.
